Watch Episode

Coral Spawns

Season 1 Episode 2

View the underwater firework show of the annual coral spawn.

All at once, billions of coral polyps for hundreds of miles release their egg and sperm into the ocean during the annual coral spawn. As the fireworks begin, the water column fills with what looks like an upside down snowstorm. This mass synchronized event is unlike any known elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Yet as big as it is, there’s also beauty in the detail.

AIR DATE 7/29/15

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About Life on the Reef

View Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth, through the eyes of those who live, work and play there. Home to a stunning array of animals, it is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

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